This site might be helpful:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/faq/taxrates-e.html
Maybe the best way to figure this out is to ask the members of this forum that are not US citizens how they feel about their socialized health care systems. As an American citizen, I hear people with views on both sides. What I question is when an American citizen says that Canadian health care doesn’t work because they don’t have choices whatever that means and that it is rationed.
Pardon me, but I don’t want to hear someone from South Carolina, for example go on about how bad Canada’s or Brittan’s, or let’s face it the rest of the World’s national health care systems are, the only opinions that really count are from the actual people who live in places which national health care.
BTW, I am fully employed, my wife works, and we don’t have insurance. She hasn’t seen a doctor in ten years and the last time I saw one was when I took my Army physical… Hmm what’s wrong with that?
The front page of the NY Times ran some research: 25% of girls age 14 - 19 are infected with an STD.
Does anyone think taxpayers should help with such “public” health problems?
billy
Your wife NEEDS to get a PAP smear right away, it’s an annual thing for women!!! And it can prevent death!!!
It’s OK for you now, being a man, when you’re in your 20s, but after you hit 40 or 50 you should see a doctor for certain tests, to avoid very preventable and deadly problems
Ok, so because there are people that get involved in risky behavior, then the rest of us should suffer. Let me ask you then, when either me or my wife gets cancer or some other disease that may or may not be curable if it’s found in time. What should we do? Shoot ourselves, maybe take a poison cocktail? What way do you suggest we commit suicide rather than laying there waiting to die?
We wonder why there is such an increase in violence amongst our youth. Maybe it’s because out of all the industrialized Nations, we’re the one with the screw you attitude towards our own people. I see it here on this forum… We don’t give a rip about each other… Screw the people that don’t deserve medical attention. Their a bunch of losers that deserve to get sick and live with it. Why not just walk out the door and start blowing people away. Why not, you don’t care about me, and I don’t care about you.
Is this our legacy? Are we so disconnected that we have no empathy for our fellow citizens? When we stop caring for each other, we stop caring for ourselves.
PAP smear? When you can’t afford to pay for hospitalization, what’s the point of finding out if your sick. I am by the way, 46 and my wife is 41. We are the working poor and have accepted the fact that we are on our own and will eventually die at home.
Back before the government got involved in the healthcare system, there were a lot of charitable organizations that provided health care needs to anyone regardless of ability to pay.
I think people in the US have been mislead to think that the government is supposed to provide for all. With the large amount of taxation, it’s hard for the average person to be as caring towards those in their communities as they would like to be. People should be abe to open their wallets or volunteer time for their community instead of being stolen from and being told they have to petitioin their government to use that stolen money the way they want it.
I believe many people including myself care about others and dont wish to see anything unfortunate happen to them BUT since I am a workaholic and do everything in my ability to get ahead in life I am not willing to pay more and more taxes for welfare or any other program that promotes lazyness. For years I had to work on homes that the people were supported by our welfare system (California) and recieved free medical (Back when I had no medical ins) and drove nicer vehicles than mine and got to sit around on their arse all day.
I dont like our current system cause it dont work! It would be nice if the people whom deserve it (ex) working poor, working but off but just cant get ahead, handicapped etc. but if this was the case then someone could say you are condemning the poor so what is the answer? I dont know but if both you and your wife work and dont have health ins. at your age you really need to look into HSA’s Health Savings Accounts just about everyhealth ins. co offers them now but look closely because the good ones have a very very small premium and the money you put in the HSA is yours and continues to accrue and if you dont use it you can use it for retirement it is always yours. I dont want to go into detail but you should do a little reading on HSA’s they are just beginning to get popular.
This is so true.
Goes right along with “Never assume responibility for your own actions if it is easier to blame someone else”
My opinion on heath care has changed since the 1993 era Hillary Plan. I am now willing to consider something similar to the plan she promoted. The current system where health care insurance is provided as an employment benefit is so fundamentally flawed and unfair that I cannot support it. I’m very Republican and conservative on many issues, but on health care I have changed my tune.
Employers are not in business because they want to provide health care insurance for employees. That’s just extra paper work and extra time on busy non-work for them. It turns into an area that is an expense and a cost that can be minimized. It also makes the business too aware of the “health pool” of their employees. If the “health pool” of the employees gets worse they notice when the pool insurance rate goes up. That is something that the employer should not even be aware of or even care about. Small business and self employed get screwed in that system. Retired people also get screwed in that system. Everyone gets screwed by that system. I can find nothing good to say about the current system.
I know Hillary knows health care. I have no indication that Obama knows health care. My impression is that Obama has a health care plan because he’s running for President and needed one in his platform. There is no indication that a well thought out plan is something he has thought critically and in depth about. I don’t know of anyone in his inner circle who is a health care guru. All that seems to matter about Obama is that he’s handsome, connects with young people (probably because he’s handsome), and he speaks well.
If someone is going to mess with health care, I’d rather have Hillary do it that Obama.
So do we scrap the system we have, or put a bandaid on it? You are advocating the bandaid.
Why is it that when government breaks something, we expect them to fix it with more of the same?
I’m open to either a bandaid or a complete overhaul similar to the 1993 Clinton Health Care Plan. If it is only a bandaid I would need to see conclusive analysis that the bandaid would actually fix the fundamental problems that I see. I have my doubts that a bandaid plan would work. I even have my doubts that Hillary’s current plan goes far enough.
Are you referencing something I said? If so I need to rephrase it because you misunderstood me.
Early detection can be VERY inexpensive–often just a snip–like with precancerous things in your colon if you get your 10 year colonoscopies after age 50 (or sooner if you have any history of breast cancer or other cancers). Same with a PAP smear. It saves lives. Because its so simple, virtually no women in the USA die of (or even get) cervical cancer.
But without a PAP smear, you can get into BIG trouble.
The local Planned Parenthood may offer PAP smears very cheap or even free for women. I found this by googling “free PAP smear.” Lots more than this came up! Please. It’s very basic health care, like brushing your teeth. It saves so much in the long run:
Programs funded by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offer free or low-cost Pap tests to women in need. These and other programs are available throughout the United States. To find contact information for a program near you, visit the NBCCEDP website at National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program | CDC or call 1-888-842-6355 (select option 7). Also, your state or local health department can direct you to places that offer free or low-cost Pap tests.
Planned Parenthood offers low-cost Pap tests as well. To find the Planned Parenthood office in your area, call 1-800-230-7526 or visit their website at: http://www.ppfa.org
For more information . . .
You can find out more about Pap tests by contacting the National Women’s Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:
And recall, managed care can be traced back to President Richard Nixon, liek all the Republicans, throwing a bone to the corporations at the expense of the American people. He really screwed things up for the people, but really helped the corporations profit. Legal corruption.
OOps sorry!
for those interested by numbers my Health insurance is a bit complex:
(first number is mandatory state insurance, others are private).
My employer pays: 12.8 % + 1.677% + 1.424%
I pay : 0.75% + 1.373% + 1.165%
… of my salary
With this I get almost all of my health bills (but not 100% for dental).
Do I have a problem with this “socialized medicine”? well not for the moment never waited for anything a long time.
As I am over 50 I am fully “inspected” every 5 years to prevent problems. For the moment It looks like I am ok (except for asthma).
So?
Have you ever had to get any type of surgery performed?
I have relatives in Canada and they say there health plan is fine as long as you dont need any type of surgery. My Uncle has a prostetic leg and had some complications and had to wait seven months for surgery.
I am not an expert and it depends of type of surgery.
My father was in need of a heart thing and he was on the block the day after (not an emergency but nonetheless required more or less quick action).
His significant other is in need of hip replacement and has to wait 2 months.
So it depends on location and problem: some people tend to wait a long time because there are not that many scanners for specialty enquiries and sometimes newspaper write about dysfunctions or long waiting lists. But overall there is not a feeling of unsecure service.
As usual there are reports of bad economic decisions and waste and so the system is in perpetual need of reassessments of priorities. But unless I had a very special ailment I don’t think I will go elsewhere to require help.
note : things are going more or less “global” and its not unusual to cross borders to go and get a very specialised doctor.
Another thing about the long waits and rationing that people talk about: much of that is over-dramatized. As I understand it, if your health problem is not an emergency you might have to wait…I presume this is so that the hospitals can take care of urgent cases that cannot wait, (those get treated immediately).
A Canadian friend forwarded this site to me; since he’s a lifelong citizen of Canada I trust his judgement that this article is a fair description of how the Canadian system actually works.
VP Dick Cheney would be dead by now if he got the regular health care available to most Americans.
Dick Cheney gets “cadillac care,” according to the California Nurses Association as seen on Bill Moyers tonight.
America neglects Americans, and Americans are dying of neglect at the hands of America.
I have friends throwing fundraising parties for friends in need of money for health care in America. Does this happen in any other nations?
And just to remind you again: Programs funded by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offer free or low-cost Pap tests to women in need. These and other programs are available throughout the United States. To find contact information for a program near you, visit the NBCCEDP website at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/ or call 1-888-842-6355 (select option 7). Also, your state or local health department can direct you to places that offer free or low-cost Pap tests.
Planned Parenthood offers low-cost Pap tests as well. To find the Planned Parenthood office in your area, call 1-800-230-7526 or visit their website at: http://www.ppfa.org